Work continues at Ontario County buildings for 'domino project'

CANANDAIGUA — The first phase of Ontario County’s multi-year, $3.5 million Space Utilization and Relocation Project is just about done.

The project is known locally to county officials as the “domino project,” referencing the multiple components involved in the work.

First, the Health and Personnel Services Building in the county complex in Hopewell has been undergoing an internal renovation to create more space. Starting next week, the 27 staff members in the county’s finance department — who are now located at the County Municipal Building at 20 Ontario St. in Canandaigua — will move to take up the newly created space in the Health and Personnel Services Building.

“Everything in the first phase is 99 percent done,” said Public Works Director Bill Wright this week. “The furniture is in there, and we start moving finance staff next week. We have a rolling move-in of people based on their workloads. The moving-in phase will be completed in two or three weeks.”

Next, the 20 Ontario St. building will be renovated. This is the second phase of the project. The second floor will be prepared to accept the planning department, which is now on the third floor of the building.

When the planning department is moved out, the third floor at 20 Ontario St. will be renovated to be the new home of the county attorney and his staff. They’re currently on the fourth floor of the nearby county courthouse now.

As soon as the county attorney’s staff is gone, the fourth floor of the courthouse will be renovated to house the district attorney and his staff, who are on the third floor of the courthouse now. After this occurs, the third floor will take its turn in the renovation project, eventually to house a new courtroom and attendant offices. That room will also be used as the new Board of Supervisors session room. This is phase three of the project.

Wright said the major expense of the project will be absorbed in the 20 Ontario St. and courthouse renovations, especially when it comes to putting in the new courtroom.

“We need to do renovations for office space, secure space for inmates, and everything that goes with the courthouse — a waiting area, bathrooms, things that are not in that space now,” he said.

County Associate Planner Tim Jensen said phase two would be bid out soon “and should start within two or three months. Construction probably, conservatively, will be done late fall of this year.”

The courthouse work will be interesting. “It was renovated in the 1980s,” Jensen said. “We’re not overly concerned, but we’re approaching it cautiously. We understand that something could happen. Any perceived delays in the project probably grow out of us being cautious upfront and not running into costly overruns.”

Page 2 of 2 - He added, “Our project is made more challenging because the courthouse is an older building and will be in operation while construction is going on. The third floor will be vacant but court will still be in session and all other functions will continue while we’re constructing.”